The Legend of Oryps
by SpyroForLife
Summary: Disregard my other stories, this is starting fresh. The Legend of Oryps: The Return of Malefor. It's seven years after Spyro and Cynder defeated Malefor. They're living happily enough, but it soon becomes apparent that evil will rise again...
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

My name is Oryps. I am, without a doubt, the strongest dragon there is. In terms of physical strength, I'm more powerful than all of the guardians combined. More powerful than the purple dragon, Spyro. Who happens to be a good friend of mine. Speaking of Spyro...  
"Hey there, Spyro!" I called as I walked outside to check my mail. Spyro and Cynder lived in a house across the street from ours. Ever since Malefor was defeated, dragons have been moving into Warfang, rebuilding what was lost and damaged, and starting bright new lives.  
For Spyro and Cynder, that meant having a dragonet. That's right. It's been seven years since they defeated Malefor and Cynder admitted her love toward Spyro. It's like something out of a romance novel, isn't it?  
Now they're about twenty-two. And they have an egg. A large purple egg. I think it's going to be a male. And of course, it's probably going to have eight elements. With parents like Spyro and Cynder, eight elements are a total possibility.  
As for me, you ask? I'm twenty years old. Adult sized, terrifically large. But I still act like a teenager half the time. Who can blame me? It's fun. I still fight people for fun. I still can't get my stupid electricity element to work right. I can redirect it if someone shoots it at me, but can't create my own. Eh, I don't really care. Not with all my other abilities.  
"Hi Oryps!" Spyro called back, waving. He was sitting outside on the front porch, the egg protectively held in his front legs. Cynder was sitting next to him, occasionally nudging the egg gently and smiling.  
"When's it going to hatch?" I asked, walking over. A small shriek behind me made me run back. My daughter Voltis was only about a day old and trying to follow me. "Jacob! Kid got out!"  
"I'm coming!" Jacob trotted out of the house and picked up Voltis. "Dear, you have to stay with me. Mommy will be right back."  
Voltis wasn't having that. She squealed again, her paws reaching for me. She had little black claws, just like mine. They were very sharp at her young age, and I had to keep them rounded off and blunt so she wouldn't hurt anything larger than the family cat, Gem.  
"Meow," Gem mewed plaintively, hopping up onto my back. She had three thin cuts across her face.  
I turned to Voltis. "Voltis, I told you not to swipe at the cat."  
Voltis lowered her head, nodding briefly. I held out my front legs. "Want to come over to Spyro's house?"  
Voltis nodded eagerly and squirmed away from Jacob. Then she jumped toward me. I caught her easily and held her close against my chest.  
"Hssss!" Gem spat, the hair along her back rising up.  
"Down girl!" I replied, shrugging my shoulder. She jumped down with a last hiss. "We have got to get that cat more used to dragonets. Because when Spyro and Cynder's kid comes along, we'll have more play dates than you can count."  
I walked across the street again, skillfully moving on only two legs. It's a technique I've had perfected for years. Ever since I was young I could walk like that. It's better for fighting paw-to-paw.  
Voltis just couldn't stop laughing. I had to grin too. I had to look funny. I stepped up onto the porch without missing a step, and put Voltis down. She scampered over to Cynder, tripping about every inch of the way. I remained upright, the better to look down at everyone. I could see exactly what was happening over the entire porch.  
Voltis was so tiny when I viewed her from up here. I sank back down onto four legs. Most dragons would feel a slight spine pop from doing that. However, I've messed my spine up enough. It's used to it.  
"So, will it hatch today?" I asked with interest. The egg was trembling. Cynder picked up Voltis before replying.  
"I'm sure it will. It's been making sounds all week."  
"If it's a boy, we'll name it Syne," Spyro said.  
"We've been thinking up names all week," Cynder explained. "We finally determined that Syne would be a good name for a boy dragon."  
"And if it's female, Cyndra," Spyro went on.  
I smiled. "I like the name Cyndra. But that is a female name. We'll just have to wait and see."  
"I don't think they'll be waiting for long," Jacob called, having walked up while I wasn't paying attention. "It's cracking."  
Spyro put the egg down on his lap, then picked it up again and held it out to Cynder. "You take it!"  
"Oh, for crying out loud, Spyro." Cynder took it from him quickly and put it down in her own lap. "Voltis, you have to move." Voltis backed away, clinging to Cynder's knee with all four paws.  
"What Spyro?" I teased. "You don't want the dragonet to think you're its mommy?"  
"I think Cynder would know what to do in this situation," Spyro said. "She's the one with the motherly instincts, after all!"  
"I know that feeling. Voltis, you're going to fall!" I lunged forward and caught Voltis before she fell about three feet from Cynder's knee. Adult dragons are very large, after all. An adult is about five times taller than a teenager is. And twenty times larger than a newly hatched dragon.  
So yeah. It'd be a pretty painful fall.  
I lay down and put my paw firmly over the silver lightning bolt at the end of Voltis's tail. She tried to pull away but couldn't. Not even another adult could pull away if I put my paw over their tail. That's how strong I am.  
A small purple foot managed to kick out of the egg. It pulled back in and the tip of a purple snout stuck out, breathing in deeply. The first breath of air must be an amazing feeling.  
"Male or female?" Spyro asked as the snout withdrew and started hammering at the inside of the egg.  
"I couldn't tell," Cynder replied. "Male?" There was a particularly large knock inside the egg, and more cracks ran down the outside. There was a pause, then the dragonet headbutted the egg. Cynder kept her hold, now trying to look in through the air hole. "It has green eyes, like me. A little bit of a darker shade, but still green."  
"I've always loved green eyes," Jacob commented. When I swung my tail at him, he quickly corrected his mistake. "But gold eyes are a lot better."  
Satisfied, I kept my grip on my daughter's tail and looked carefully at the surface of the egg. It was very cracked and the dragonet should be getting out by now. And sure enough...  
Wham!  
The tail shot through. It was tipped with a shiny silver blade like Cynder's. A line of soggy yellow fur was visible along the spine of the tail. That side of the egg cracked, and the dragon tumbled out. It spread its yellow and red-violet wings to dry and blinked up at Cynder.  
"It's a male," Cynder said. She smiled. "Syne, then. His name will be Syne."  
The dragonet was purple, with just the faintest black tone to him. His eyes were green, like Cynder had said. He had a long line of yellow fur that ran down from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. When it dried, it would be spiky. He had the same set of white horns that Cynder has. Right now they were little stubs. But they would grow out nicely. His chest plates were shaped like Cynder's and the same color. His wings were yellow at the arms, red-violet at the skins. Where the fingers came together rose a silver blade like Cynder's.  
All in all, he was a handsome little dragonet. I wouldn't be surprised if girls started hanging around him at school and giggling when he walked down the hall.  
"He's pretty good-looking," I said as Cynder started grooming the dragonet with her tongue, licking the egg membranes off of him. "A real chick magnet."  
"He gets it from me," Spyro boasted.  
"You wish," Cynder replied, now cleaning Syne's wings.  
"So you're saying you're a chick magnet?" I asked her, one eye ridge raised.  
Jacob burst out laughing. "That was brilliant!" I raised my paw and he slapped it.  
Cynder looked up at me and grinned. "Yep, I am."  
That just made all of us crack up. We were all just about ready to fall down and roll around laughing.  
Disturbed by all the noise, Voltis whined loudly, but it was a more demanding sound, rather than just a pitiful complaint. Syne also made a small whine similar to Voltis's, though less demanding.  
Voltis vaulted up into Cynder's lap to stare at Syne. Unnerved, Syne raised a shaky paw and shoved Voltis. She braced her claws against Cynder's thigh and didn't even move an inch.  
I grinned. "Well, she's definitely strong. She's going to grow up to be as powerful as I am."  
"Don't boast," Jacob laughed. He motioned at Voltis. "Come on, now. Let's go home. Mommy can watch you while I go to work. Speaking of which, Spyro, I suggest you go too. I know you probably want to do some bonding, but you also have to bring in enough money to provide for your wife and son."  
Jacob was a teacher and Spyro was a construction worker. You know, builds houses and stuff. He's pretty good at it.  
Voltis scurried over to me and I picked her up. Jacob smiled, kissed me briefly on the cheek, and jumped off the porch, beating his wings and shooting off toward the school.  
Spyro hugged Cynder. "Jacob's right. I need to provide for the family. I'll try to get off early." He patted his son on the head before taking off, heading in the other direction. Toward the house he was helping to repair. Apparently the young dragon who lived there with his parents had discovered that his element was earth.  
Holding Voltis, I made my way down the porch steps. "See you later, Cynder. Bye Syne!"  
Cynder waved goodbye and then went back to grooming her son. Smiling, I went back over to my house to get Voltis something to eat. Dragonets had to eat often. They were always hungry. Plus it helped them grow.  
As I was walking up the steps, a yellow dragonfly intercepted me. "Oryps, did Spyro and Cynder's egg hatch yet?"  
"Yep. You just missed it," I replied. Sparx hasn't been around much lately. I often wondered where he was.  
"Seriously?" Sparx demanded.  
"Seriously," I replied. "Well, get on over there. I'm sure the dragonet would like to see his Uncle Sparx."  
"Oh, I'm going over there. See ya!" He flew across the street. "Hi Cynder!"  
Chuckling to myself, I opened the door and went inside. I put Voltis down and walked over to the perch standing next to an open window. A magnificent white hawk stood on it, her gold eyes watching everything that was going on outside.  
I wrote two quick notes, one to Embara and Cyra, and the other to my sister Ruby. Embara was currently the fire guardian. With a father like Ignitus, who would deny her that responsibility? Cyra lives there and trains to become the ice guardian after Cyril. She's better than him already, but still has to wait.  
Ruby lives a few blocks away, but I was too lazy to fly there right now. I just wanted to send the hawk. It's a lot quicker.  
The notes were about Voltis and Syne's hatching, along with some quick descriptions of them and rough sketches of them.  
"Okay, this note goes to the Dragon Temple," I said clearly, giving the hawk the note addressed to Embara and Cyra. The hawk, Snowy, took it in her beak. I held out the other note. "And this one goes to my sister Ruby. Okay?"  
Snowy took the other note in her talons, holding it firmly but carefully. I reached to undo the strap that kept her from flying out the window when I didn't want her to. "I gotta make sure you know. Which note goes to Ruby?" Snowy shook the note she was holding in her talons. "And which goes to the temple?" She waved her head and the paper waved back and forth. "Very good. Now go, and be quick." I undid the strap and she took off, her beautiful white wings moving with powerful strokes.  
I walked back over to Voltis, who had found a candle and was chewing on it. I took it away from her and she just grinned at me. That grin reminded me of myself. She's definitely going to grow up to be just like her mother.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Weeks passed in a blur of excitement. Little Voltis was breathing tiny sparks of electricity and growing at a fast pace. She had to be half a foot tall by now! And she moved with quick, jerking motions that Jacob had trouble tracking. I didn't, but then again, I have excellent reflexes.  
At the same time, Syne wasn't quite breathing any elements, but he sure was trying. Occasionally smoke would come out of his mouth, marking that his first element would probably be fire.  
Syne was growing slower than Voltis, but he was well built for such a young dragon. You could see his little baby muscles rippling as he wrestled with Spyro's paw or Cynder's tail blade.  
We went to the temple often, letting the two dragonets chase each other around the training room and wrestle playfully, while Jacob, Spyro, Cynder, Cyra, Embara, the other guardians, and I watched with amusement. Occasionally we would take this time to gossip and pick up on any news we might have missed.  
While Voltis took a liking to Volteer and often wanted to climb up his front leg and scratch at his shoulder, Syne liked Embara the most. He would paw at her tail as she flicked it back and forth, laughing all the while.  
Once Syne grabbed it and sank his teeth into it, refusing to let go. Of course it didn't hurt the fire guardian, who only laughed in her usual sarcastic manner and gently swung her tail around. When Syne didn't let go, she swung her tail with more force. That didn't work.  
Cyra grabbed Syne and pulled him away. He didn't want to let go, but did anyway with a sigh. Then he twisted around and nipped Cyra's leg. She ignored the bite and put him back down on the ground.  
Spyro looked at him sternly, causing him to sheepishly hunch his shoulders and look at Voltis. She was in the middle of her usual pastime of scratching up Volteer's leg. He had grown used to it and was now just watching her, his usual grin on his face.  
"She shows a rather large amount of enthusiasm, wouldn't you say?" Volteer asked, looking around at us all when Voltis tackled his paw and started clawing at it. Her claws had become long for her size, and although I wasn't clipping them anymore I still kept them blunt. The scratches would barely hurt, if they even did at all.  
"She has my blood in her," I said. "Of course she's going to act like that. She'll probably be a great fighter."  
"Definitely," Cyra agreed. "She's fast and strong, not to mention pretty. She's exactly like you."  
"Well, I hope some part of my personality develops in her," Jacob commented. "I don't think I want her to act crazed like that for the rest of her life. Men don't like a violent girl."  
I thumped his shoulder hard. "Is that true?"  
"But there are exceptions," he added, rubbing his shoulder. "Ow, that hurt."  
"Get over it, tough guy," I said, looking back at my daughter. She was now lying on the floor, fast asleep. "How the heck did that happen?"  
"Volteer was telling her about carbon something or others," Embara said, rolling her eyes.  
"Carbon monoxide!" Volteer said, exasperated. "You cannot tell me that you do not comprehend what it is!"  
"Sorry, I know what it is but I'm totally uninterested," Embara said.  
"In my opinion, nobody is interested in it other than him," Cyril commented, hiding a smile. Volteer still shot him a hurt look. "Come on, old bean. You know I'm just fooling with you."  
Luckily, in the past few years Cyril has become a little more bearable. He hasn't been quite as arrogant. Possibly because I taught him a lesson about that a few years ago, but that's beside the point. Indeed, the scar on his thigh where I had slashed him with my wing spike was still visible. I had been thirteen at the time. If I hit him now with that spike, the damage would be so much worse.  
"Voltis, sweetie, are you awake?" I called softly. Voltis didn't answer. "Wake up, dang it! Syne, wake her up."  
Syne slowly crept up to Voltis. Then he leapt toward her. In a flash, her eyes were open and she had dodged him. Then she pinned him to the ground and held him there, her eyes blazing triumphantly.  
"Oh yeah! That's my girl!" I shouted, running over to her. I scooped her up. "You are mommy's little girl, yes you are." I nuzzled her, then looked at everyone else. They were all looking at me in surprise.  
"Wow, that was unexpected," Cyra said. "That almost made you seem, you know, dragon."  
"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked with a dangerous tone seeping into my voice.  
"Well, you're not normally very affectionate," Embara explained.  
"Not affectionate?" I demanded. "Not affectionate? Jacob, take Voltis." I handed Voltis to Jacob and advanced on Embara and Cyra. They warily stood their ground, watching me carefully. "I will have you know that I am very caring, and I love my husband and daughter!"  
"Whoa, calm down, man," Cyra said quickly.  
"Oryps, you are being irrational," Volteer said in his most calming voice. "I am sure they were just joking with you."  
If he had been anyone else, I probably would have rounded on him too. But I didn't, and instead muttered, "Fine, whatever." Cyra and Embara relaxed, looking relieved. I stormed over to them and they quickly got alarmed again. "But like I said, I am a very caring person. Just so you know."  
"Okay, okay, we know," Cyra said, holding up her paws in an attempt to appease me. Embara made a similar gesture.  
"Everyone!" a familiar voice called from the balcony.  
"Sparx!" Spyro shouted happily, running toward the small yellow glow coming toward us. "I haven't seen you in weeks!"  
"That's because I have something very important I want to tell you," Sparx said, a big grin on his face. "Lily, come in here! Don't be shy!"  
A light purple glow came toward us. It disappeared, revealing a dragonfly. Her skin was pure white, like untouched snow. Her delicate wings were light purple, a lilac shade. Her cheeks had a faint pink blush to them, and her eyes were brilliant blue. Her antennae were long and swept back, as if she had been flying in a high wind. But something told me they were always like that. And she had long, shiny blue hair.  
I didn't know much about the dragonfly standards of beauty, but something told me that she would be considered very attractive. What was she doing around an average Joe like Sparx?  
"Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Lily," Sparx said, putting his arm around Lily's waist. She rested her head on his shoulder.  
"Sparx, don't you think she's a little too good for you?" Spyro asked. "Look at her! She's perfect!"  
"I know, right? But I'll have you know she doesn't care what I look like," Sparx replied. "She cares about the fact that I listen to her and talk to her about normal stuff, instead of going on about how pretty she is and reciting lame love poems. Like all the other guys."  
"Well, in that case, nice to meet you," I said, holding out one claw. Lily grasped it and shook it with a surprising amount of strength. I smiled. "Well, well. Not just a little frail insect, are you?"  
She didn't even take offense. "And look at you," she replied. "You're a pretty big dragon, but in my opinion you're probably more talk than action. You couldn't even hurt an insect. Beautiful dragonesses are hardly ever aggressive."  
"Oh, you wanna bet?" I demanded, spreading my wings and pawing at the ground. Sparx got between us, spreading him arms.  
"People, calm it down. This is not acceptable behavior," he said. "Lily, please, don't taunt Oryps. She will hit you, whether you're a dragonfly or not. She's never held back from hitting me either. Just try not to get her angry with you. After all, she took down Cyril when she was thirteen."  
"Really?" Lily asked. She looked at Cyril incredulously.  
"Please, I don't need reminding of that," Cyril said, hunching his shoulders and looking away.  
"I really did a number on him," I explained. "Two bites, numerous clawing, and of course, I slashed my wing spike into his thigh. That was purely accidental, of course. Usually I only use it to pull off a coup de grate."  
"And what would that be?" Lily asked in confusion.  
"A mercy killing," Volteer answered for me. "She's a ruthless fighter, but once the battle is over, she is quite gentle and even caring toward the victim. She has never once killed another dragon, although she has come close numerous times in competitions."  
"That's right," I said proudly. "But in the case of the apes, Dreadwings, grublins, and other assorted creatures, I just kill them off painlessly."  
"I guess you are more violent than could be expected from looking at you," Lily said.  
"Never judge a book by its cover," I said. "There's more to me than what meets the eye. Looks can be deceiving. Need I go on?"  
"That's not necessary."  
"So how'd you meet Sparx?" Spyro asked. "You look way too good to even hang around someone like him, let alone be considered his girlfriend."  
"Sparx is really nice," Lily replied. "And he's very funny. Did he tell you all the story about when Spyro..." Sparx quickly interrupted her.  
"Uh, yes, they've heard it. They think it's funny too," he said, glancing at Spyro.  
"Wait, when Spyro what?" Spyro demanded.  
"It's nothing of any importance," Sparx said hurriedly. "Just about that time in first grade. With the girl's bathroom and the bet..."  
"Oh, Sparx, you didn't tell her about that, did you?" Spyro asked in horror.  
"Boom, baby! I remember the screaming as if it had happened yesterday! Oh, Mom was so mad when she found out!" Sparx and Lily started laughing hysterically together.  
"Spyro, you entered the girl's room?" Cynder said, turning to Spyro.  
"He was going to pay me if I went in there," Spyro said sheepishly. "I just had to."  
"Don't worry Cynder, I'm sure he was just curious," I said, keeping my face perfectly blank. "Well Spyro, at least now you know about the inner workings of..."  
"Don't even go there, Oryps!" Spyro warned, and everyone else started laughing like crazy. Including me.  
Even Syne and Voltis were giggling, looking at us with large, bright eyes.  
"Well, it's been nice chatting with you all," Sparx said at last, putting his arm around Lily's waist again. "But we have a lunch date and we're late."  
As they were flying out the door, what he said finally clicked. "Sparx!" I yelled after him. "You're a poet and you don't know it! And you're a bad one at that!"  
"I find that to be a compliment!" he called back before he was gone from view.  
Grinning, I leaned down to pick up Voltis. "Well, I think we should all go home for lunch too."  
With a soft, purring sound, Voltis rubbed my face and smiled. Right now, I was her one source of joy and love, other than Jacob. She looked up to me and loved me no matter what. It made me feel really good inside. I don't think anything would ever be able to break our special mother-daughter bond.  
"Everyone, this isn't good," Spyro said. He had been idly looking at the vision pool and now was staring at it intently. "A black and red dragon just entered the volcano where Malefor is sealed. And he's obviously not planning anything good at all."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

"A black and red dragon?" Cyril went over to look carefully at the pool. But he had never been as gifted as Ignitus or Spyro. "Strange..."  
I also walked over. I could see things as long as they were happening right now, and not in the future. "Oh yeah, that's a black and red dragon all right. And he's up to no good. Ah, dang it! Pool just went dark on me."  
"Me too," Spyro said, shaking his head as though he had just come out of a trance. "He was doing some sort of magic, looked around, and then the vision went black. I can still sense it there... But it's not showing at all."  
"He probably sensed our watching him and blocked our view. The magic is uncommon, but not unheard of," Terrador commented. He looked at Volteer. "What do you think?"  
"It would be difficult to accomplish," Volteer said thoughtfully. "But not impossible. Especially if the dragon is well trained."  
"So we find this guy," Cyra said. "We find out what he's up to. If necessary, we kill him."  
"My job," I said.  
"And then we make sure he hasn't done anything to bring back Malefor," Cyra went on. "I want him to stay trapped this time, if you don't mind. I suppose it'd be less of a worry to just kill him straight off, but for now, this way will work just fine."  
Voltis tugged on my necklace and whined in hunger.  
Syne also whined from where he was clinging to Cynder's neck.  
"Kids are hungry," Jacob said. "We should go. This can be dealt with later. That volcano is very large. And the dark gem is very deep inside it. It's probably completely submerged in lava by now."  
"Jacob's right," Spyro said, looking up from the dark surface of the pool. "When Cynder and I were there, it was more like the bottom of a cave. But with all those eruptions, there's a high chance lava has broken into it from somewhere. Malefor isn't going anywhere."  
"Don't fret about it right now," I said, turning to go and making sure I had a firm grip on my daughter. "This guy will probably end up killing himself trying to find the stupid gem. Just go home and get some food in you. If you have one of these visions again, we can go check it out. But for now, just stay calm. We'll be fine. You've got me on your side. And I'll always be on your side."  
I flew from the temple with Jacob right behind me and Voltis riding in my front legs, laughing and flapping her little wings as the wind rushed past them. She wouldn't be able to fly until she was a few years old. Some dragons never learned until the age of ten or even more. But something told me she would be an early flyer nonetheless.  
With that happy thought in mind, I sped up and reached home way ahead of Jacob. I was warming up some leftovers on the stove by the time Jacob came in.  
"Do you mind not leaving me behind next time?" he complained, sitting down at the table. "You're going to make me feel slow."  
"You are slow," I told him, putting a plate of turkey legs in front of him. He immediately grabbed one and started ripping into it. I gave Voltis some tender white meat and sat down with my own helping of turkey. "I've been faster than you ever since we were children."  
"Well, one day I'll outrace you."  
"We'll see."

Another week passed since the first vision. Spyro's been growing pretty restless since. Finally, Saturday afternoon I told him I would go check out the volcano and see what was going on. Jacob would stay at home to watch after Voltis for me.  
"Be careful," Spyro warned me. "If that strange dragon managed to find Malefor, I don't think even you could defeat them."  
I laughed as I walked away. "Come on! I'm Oryps. Nothing can defeat me." With bold wing strokes I took off, shooting over the walls of the city and out over the barren land that stretched off toward the volcano. Even now, the soil was strangely unfertile and wouldn't grow anything but scruffy grasses and weeds. It remained an ugly brown and red color.  
At one hundred miles per hour, I reached the volcano very quickly. I landed near some of the caves that ran through it. I had to be careful. Often lava flowed through the caves and all the way outside, and there were geysers of fire and rivers of magma all throughout the caves and even the ground outside.  
It wasn't a very choice spot for real estate, but I guess Malefor found it suitable. After all, he's been stuck somewhere down there for about seven years.  
Folding my wings close to my body to avoid them being singed, I made my way into the nearest cave. I followed my senses to lead me down, into the actual volcano. I was walking next to a huge lava waterfall. Was it hot? Oh yeah. I was sweating as I walked. After about five minutes, I was starting to wish Cyra or Cyril was with me.  
Eventually, I was able to turn away from the hot lava and gratefully ascend deeper. However, it wasn't getting cooler. It was getting hotter. Up ahead, the tunnel widened into a huge cavern. I stuck my head out over the edge and looked down.  
The heat was sweltering. And for a pretty good reason. The floor dropped away in front of me for about five hundred feet. In the bottom of the cavern was a huge pool of magma, frothing and spitting hot rock up into the air every few seconds.  
I had reached the heart of the volcano, the magma chamber.  
Coming up out of this magma was a huge dark gem, its top about twenty feet above the surface of the magma. The purple gem was pulsing with energy, light shining from it.  
The walls of the cavern were made of pure shiny black obsidian, from years of eruptions transforming the rock. The tunnel I was standing in was also made of obsidian. So obviously the lava rushed through this tunnel when the volcano erupted, obliterating everything in its path. Which would explain the total absence of bats and other cave creatures.  
Every time the gem pulsed, the volcano's contents became more agitated. An eruption would be happening soon.  
Pacing on the surface of this gem was the black and red dragon Spyro had described. The dragon's main body was black. His wingskins and chest plates were shiny red. Two silver spikes came out of each of his shoulders, curving back. His tail ended with a long silver spike with two smaller silver spikes before it. A scar crossed over his left eye. Obviously the result of a long-forgotten battle.  
Occasionally he would paw feverishly at the gem with his claws, which were pretty long like mine, though red. Red magic glowed around them as he sliced into the rock.  
With a brilliant burst of light, the rock cracked and magic flowed out. The black dragon backed away, his red eyes watching eagerly. Then he dove forward into the huge crack, pushing his entire upper body into it. Then he pulled back out, his paws clutching something.  
As he backed up, he dragged with him a large purple dragon. The dragon had yellow eyes with black slits, like a snake. His scales were rough and brownish, most likely from old age. But he was still powerful. I could sense the strength coming off of him.  
Malefor quickly climbed to his feet, standing tall. He stretched his wings and neck, and flexed his front legs. Being stuck in that rock had probably been very uncomfortable and cramped.  
The black dragon who freed him stepped toward him. Not obediently like a servant, though. No, he approached Malefor like a friend. "Malefor, do you remember me?"  
Malefor turned his head, looking at the black dragon carefully. "Tyrannus?" he asked. "Is that you?"  
"It is," the dragon said. "Once I heard of your defeat, I set out immediately to see if it was true. And once I learned of your imprisonment here, I came to free you. The magic was simple but took time. I've been here for almost a week."  
I crept forward a little more, watching intently. In about five seconds I was going to jump down and raise heck. But for now, I wanted to see what they were up to.  
"Is that so?" Malefor examined Tyrannus more closely. "It's been decades since I last set eyes on you. You have not changed in the slightest."  
"Sadly, friend, the same cannot be said of you," Tyrannus said sadly. "Your personality and ideals have changed greatly. I've heard of your planned destruction of the planet. Why bring about its end, when instead, you can control it completely? It would be simple if the two of us work together."  
"I'm afraid I must correct you there," Malefor said, pacing back and forth. "It is the duty of the purple dragon to bring about the destruction of this world. This will allow the birth of a better one."  
"I'm afraid I must correct you, there!" I yelled, leaping down. I extended the tips of my wings to make me dive faster and slammed into Tyrannus at about one hundred miles per hour, knocking him to his knees and elbows. We skidded across the ground for a few feet.  
I climbed off of the winded dragon, myself completely unaffected by the powerful impact.  
I advanced on Malefor. Although I'm about eighty years younger than he is, I'm just as tall. And although I appear thin, power and strength radiate from me clearly. Malefor obviously picked up on it, because he backed away.  
"You see, Malefor, it's all a matter of choice," I said, circling him. "You chose the path of evil. You chose to resurrect the Destroyer and try to destroy our world. However, Spyro chose to save the world. You see what I'm saying? You don't have to do what everyone says you should. You can do whatever you want. After all, isn't freedom what it means to be a dragon?"  
Malefor started circling me as well, though he was moving warily. "Who are you?"  
"I'm Oryps," I said proudly. "Your worst nightmare."  
Behind me, Tyrannus was climbing to his feet and groaning. "You're stronger than you look. But know this, female." He spread his wings. "We are more powerful than you are. Flee while you have the chance."  
I laughed cruelly, which only seemed to agitate them. "I think not. You see, I'm the fiercest dragoness in this entire world. I can crush anyone who opposes me with ease. So it is you who needs to back down."  
It was Malefor's turn to laugh. "You can't possibly believe you're stronger than I am?"  
"I know I'm stronger than you, purple boy," I said, making Malefor growl angrily. "If I could defeat Spyro even with him hurling all his elements at me, then I could defeat you. It'll be a snap."  
"We'll see." With a loud roar, Malefor leapt at me, his claws outstretched. I ducked away from him in a flash, reappearing behind him. I punished his flank viciously with my own claws, which were much sharper than his. Let's just say the scars I gave him will always be there.  
"That the best you got?" I egged him on. "Come on, give it your all! Don't hold back! Go all-out!"  
Now snarling, Malefor came at me again with his fire breath roaring. I charged through the scorching flames and rammed his chest with my head. The flames stuttered out as I smashed his chest and shoulders repeatedly.  
Endless training sessions with Embara had toughened up my scales pretty well to fire. I could bear it in small amounts.  
However, my face was stinging from the burns and so were my front legs. But it was nothing I haven't endured before.  
Grinning as if this was just a fun little fight, I slashed at Malefor once more, giving him three new scars across his eye. He snapped at me, but I was way too fast for him. I slipped out of the way and to his other side, hitting him with my tail.  
But now Tyrannus was getting involved. He attacked with his fire breath, and it wasn't much compared to what Embara can do. But I gotta admit it was pretty good.  
I dodged the stream of flame and tackled Tyrannus, holding him against the floor. I bit his neck several times, letting my claws dig into his scales and draw blood while I did so.  
My hind feet tore up his wingskins, making him roar at me and swing his tail, trying to stab the point into my side. I tightened my jaws even harder as the tail painfully ripped through my scales.  
Rough paws suddenly grabbed my shoulders, yanking me away from Tyrannus and slamming me to the floor. Caught off guard, I twisted around and sank my teeth into Malefor's leg. He shook it, desperately trying to dislodge me. It wasn't working at all. I bit down even harder, tasting blood. That pleased me. Blood was good. If my opponent is bleeding, that always means I'm winning. I was so caught up in gnawing Malefor's front leg off that I failed to notice Tyrannus coming up from behind.  
Then a fearsome blast of red energy slammed into my head from behind, knocking me away from Malefor's leg. A paralyzing effect made it hard for me to move. I quickly realized that had been a siren scream attack. A type of fear move. Cynder has used it multiple times. So Tyrannus can use fire and fear, huh?  
I slowly turned around. Man, what did that attack do to me?  
I lashed out at Tyrannus. He moved away and used another siren scream. This time I tripped and fell.  
No, get up! I urged myself. Up, up! Don't let them win! What was wrong with me? Usually I could defeat five adult dragons with ease. How were these two managing to take me down?  
I alternated attacks between Malefor and Tyrannus, clawing them up pretty badly. But then the two breathed powerful bursts of fire at me, which sapped my strength in an instant. Malefor finished off with a darkness fury. By the time the energy had faded away, I had collapsed onto the floor, trying desperately to get up. But I couldn't. I was hurt. For the first time I can remember, I was seriously injured. And there wasn't anything I could do about it.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Malefor and Tyrannus came up to me where I lay on the floor, trying to push myself back up. I managed to force myself onto my haunches, freeing my front claws. I slashed at Malefor's legs with them as violently as I could.  
Which resulted in him backhanding me across the face. Okay, now I gotta admit, that really hurt. And you know what? It made me angry.  
Now I was rising from the floor, snarling, my wings spread and the spikes angled dangerously. I could stab both of them at one time and finish it here and now.  
But my wings weren't cooperating with me. They were trembling, as if they were too heavy for me to hold up. I couldn't get them to lash at the two male dragons. Instead, they jerked and went limp.  
Tyrannus shot another fear blast into my face, knocking me back down. Malefor hit me with ice attacks. Those had no effect, though. Cyra's are a lot better, and I can tolerate hers too.  
Still, my strength was gone. Tyrannus had the most powerful fear attacks I've ever felt. They paralyzed me for seconds at a time. But even a few seconds of remaining motionless can be fatal in battle.  
As I found out two seconds later.  
Malefor rose up onto his hind legs, then slammed down on the back of my neck with his paws. There was a sickening pop, a wave of pain, then a swooping feeling, as if I was falling through a tunnel. A long, black tunnel.  
With a defeated sigh, I flopped over to the side and blacked out.

I don't know how long I was unconscious. Could have been a few minutes. Maybe it was a few hours. I don't know. All I know is what I was feeling.  
They were new sensations... Defeat, misery, helplessness. I couldn't stop thinking, _They beat me. They somehow defeated me. How? How could this happen? I was the strongest._  
_No,_ another snide voice replied. _You weren't. You let your confidence make you reckless. You thought you could focus all your attention on one dragon, instead of both. That's how you lost._  
"Oryps?"  
_No, you're wrong!_ I shouted back mentally. I thrashed angrily.  
"Oryps!"  
"What?!" I screamed, jerking awake. Tyrannus furiously backpedaled, looking shocked.  
Malefor walked up next to Tyrannus. "Don't let her scare you. She's not going anywhere."  
"I'll go where I want..." I stopped mid sentence and examined my wrists. They were bound to the ground with very, very short chains. Green magic glowed around them.  
"Where are we?" I growled, tugging experimentally and finding that the chains were very strong.  
"We're about ten miles to the east of the volcano. In a set of caves I had found to be useful prisons for my enemies," Malefor explained, walking too close for my comfort. I snapped at him but he ignored me.  
Stupid cuffs! They weren't breaking, and neither were the chains. If I could free them, I could just give Malefor something to think about. Wait! My wing spikes!  
I swung them. Or, I thought I did. They didn't move. What the...?  
I looked behind me. Sure, my wings were there. They were idly outstretched, gently waving back and forth. But I couldn't make them move on my own.  
"What did you do to my wings?" I demanded, trying to make them flap. Still nothing.  
"They're simply paralyzed," Malefor said dismissively. "Tyrannus is quite skilled at spells to prevent movement."  
"If I kill him, will the spells break?" I asked casually. Ignoring my comment, Malefor put his face down right in front of mine. I could smell his breath. "Dude, it's called a mint. Ever heard of one?"  
"You're going to tell me the truth, or else," Malefor said.  
"Or else what?" I retorted, outraged. How dare he threaten me!  
"Or else we kill you," Tyrannus said. "You're in no position to fight back, so killing you will be easy."  
"Oh yeah? Undo these chains and I'll show you how easy it is to kill me," I said scornfully.  
Malefor placed one of his claws on my forehead, right under my first spike. His eyes locked onto mine and glowed. "Where are Spyro and Cynder?"  
I felt my pupils get large. Unable to stop myself, I blurted out, "They live right across the street from my husband and me. They live in Warfang at 1384 Purple Dragon Drive, in a one-story house. Rock design, very simple yet quaint. Usually Cynder and her son Syne stay in the backyard and she plays with him. He's about a month old."  
"Very well. Tyrannus, fetch Spyro and Cynder and bring them to me," Malefor ordered, turning to his friend.  
"What do I do about their son?" Tyrannus asked.  
"You can kill him," Malefor said. "We have no use for him."  
"Kill a dragonet? Malefor, that sort of crime is even more unforgivable than the murder of a fledgling or adult. It's unjustified and cruel!" Tyrannus argued.  
"Listen to him!" I yelled. "He's onto something here! The murder of dragonets is a horrible deed!"  
Malefor hissed at me warningly. I hissed back and tried to swing my wings, forgetting that they had been paralyzed. They fluttered pathetically.  
"Fine!" Malefor snapped. "Don't kill the young one! But bring me his parents. I have to deal with them."  
Tyrannus nodded. "I'll get them. I'll be back in about an hour." He sped from the cave.  
Malefor circled me, examining every inch of my body. My lithe stomach, and supple tail. My powerfully muscled front legs. My claws.  
"Stop staring at me!" I snarled. "Get your own girlfriend! I'm married already!"  
My little comment didn't faze the purple dragon. "You'll make an even better servant than Cynder," he said. "Your power is far beyond hers."  
"Duh," I replied. "I can defeat her easily. And I could defeat you too. So untie me and we'll fight like equals!"  
"But if we fight like equals, you'll win," Malefor said matter-of-factly. "Which is why I am not unchaining you until you have pledged your loyalty to me."  
"Forget it!" I replied, baring my teeth.  
"Very well," Malefor sighed. He raised his head as high as it could go. "Then you'll be the first to die at my paws."  
"Bring it on, purple dude!" I said calmly. What was he going to do, flame me?  
That's exactly what he did. For the first thirty seconds of nonstop, scorching flames, I just grinned at him. Like I said before, my scales are very fire-hardened. Ordinary flames didn't even penetrate them.  
Then it started to sting and itch. I shifted uncomfortably, tossing my head. The fire continued. I turned my face away from the flames and yelled, "Have you not been breathing this whole time?"  
The flames stuttered out as Malefor started coughing. He had gone for quite some time without any oxygen. Then he looked at me with an odd expression. "How did you do that?"  
"Do what? Not die? It's simple. I'm friends with the fire guardian Embara. She trains with me all the time. So I'm toughened against fire. And I'll tell you this, her fire is a lot stronger than yours," I explained. I pulled against the wrist cuffs that bound me to the floor. "Take these dang things off!"  
Before I could react, Malefor had grabbed my neck and slammed me against the ground. I kicked with my hind legs, unable to move my front legs. Then my hind legs went completely limp, like my wings. He had paralyzed them with some sort of magic!  
You know, being tackled by a large dragon really angered me. I really felt like killing Malefor right then. So I tried. By latching onto his neck with my teeth and chomping down as hard as I could. Which was pretty hard.  
He shouted and pulled away. I kept holding onto him, tasting blood. I refused to let go. Either he unchains me, or he dies.  
He grabbed my neck with his paws and pushed at it. Like that was really going to make me let go. Wait a second...  
He was suffocating me!  
The only way for me to breathe would be to let go. Because as long as I kept biting Malefor's neck, he was able to lodge the tops of his claws into my throat and cut off my air supply.  
I had to make my choice now. Already my vision was getting hazy and my lungs were starting to burn.  
Malefor moved his paws away briefly, then actually grabbed me in a throttle hold.  
Gasping, I let go of his neck and tried to jerk away. No good, he had his front leg wrapped tightly around my neck. And I couldn't raise my own paws to break his grip.  
"Let go!" I demanded. "Let go!" I coughed and yanked my head to the side. He still held on, tightening his hold.  
"You will be allowed to live if you join me," Malefor said calmly, as if I wasn't choking to death and he was the one causing it. "Submit to my will, and I won't kill you."  
"I'd rather die!" I said, struggling some more. Still no good. I was going to lose consciousness soon. I could sense it. Already, things were getting dark. I couldn't track what was happening very well. Breath was coming in short little gasps. It wasn't enough. "I'd rather die," I repeated weakly. Little scenes from my life flashed in front of me. My first flight... Meeting Jacob... Marrying Jacob years later... Voltis hatching...  
Jacob and Voltis! I couldn't leave them behind! If I died, Jacob wouldn't be able to go on living. I just knew he wouldn't. And then, who would care for Voltis if he ended up committing suicide?  
"Malefor, stop!" I pleaded. "I have a husband and daughter at home who I love and will do anything for! You can't take me away from them!"  
"You will die here," Malefor said, though his hold lessened ever so slightly. "Unless you join me. It's your decision."  
I didn't have to think about it. It was an instantaneous decision. If I gave in, I would survive. Then I would be able to go back to my family one day. Maybe not now, but one day. If I refused, I would die and never see my family again. I couldn't bear the thought of that.  
For the first time I can remember in my entire life, I gave up. For my husband and daughter, I just surrendered. I went limp in Malefor's front leg and the pressure on my windpipe released. Fresh, blessed air reached my aching lungs and brought back some life in me. I looked up at my captor's unsightly face, too tired and miserable to think about pushing him away or slipping out of his grip. "I'll join you. If it means I may be able to be with my family again one day, I'll come over to your side."  
"Wise decision," Malefor said. He still held his front leg around my neck, but was holding me loosely. I just watched him tiredly, all fighting spirit gone. There was no point. I wouldn't be able to defeat him. So why bother?  
Gently, I was released. Malefor backed up, watching to see if I would attack. When I didn't and just stood up the best I could, he looked into my eyes and whispered something softly. A spell, most likely. His eyes took on an eerie glow, and they seemed to envelop me, wrapping around my mind and body. The glow was around me as well as inside me.  
I could feel... something. Some new presence, a new mind. I realized it was Malefor's will. He was forcing his will onto mine, forcing me to obey him. Just like he had with Cynder all those years ago.  
I let it happen. I could have fought back, but my efforts would have been in vain. I'm a great warrior. I've always believed that.  
But part of being a warrior is knowing when to quit. You have to know when your enemy has you beat. Even though it's never happened before, I guess I was due for a defeat. So I didn't even fight. I just let the enchantment take place, letting Malefor's mind assert control over my body and brush aside any individual thoughts I might have had. There would be no escaping now.  
I vaguely registered an angry expression on my face, but it wasn't my own creation. The mind in control was not my own. It was too cold-blooded. Too harsh. Too evil.  
With a mental sigh, I let my own consciousness slip away, unable to cling to it any longer.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

I rose from the floor with a new aggression. "Master, I am yours to command." I dipped my head obediently. "Now, may you untie me?"  
"Certainly." Malefor leaned down and opened the cuffs, and I pulled out my chafed wrists.  
I rubbed them scornfully and smiled. "Master certainly knows how to keep a rowdy dragoness under control. But rest assured she's gone now. This is my true form. This is how I was meant to be."  
Now relieved that I was under his control, Malefor's posture slackened. The tension disappeared. "You're brave. And you seem to have a great love for your family. It was that love that made you decide to submit. Because if you died, that would be the end of any chance you might have had of seeing your family again."  
"That is true, Master," I said slowly. "But it was my love for the darkness that was most significant. It was what made me join you. I'd gladly give my freedom to serve next to you. To rule this world with you and Tyrannus!"  
Malefor took my paw in his, looking right into my eyes. "You will be the queen, I assume?"  
"Yes," I replied, pulling my paw away. "And Tyrannus and you would be kings. It would be perfect."  
Malefor made a small smile. "Follow me. I wish to show you something."  
He led me through a labyrinth of tunnels, and out onto a rocky balcony. It overlooked the burned lands that stretched toward Warfang. Beyond Warfang, I could see forests and meadows. The beautiful Valley of Avalar was just visible on the edge of the land.  
"It's lovely," I said, looking around and walking further out. "The burned lands are perfect to rebuild our armies. And this time, we'll take Warfang. With me fighting by your side, there will be no losing to Spyro or Cynder."  
"Speaking of Spyro and Cynder..." Malefor walked up next to me, watching Warfang. "Tyrannus should have brought them back by now."  
"Maybe they put up a good fight. I'll admit, they're powerful. Of course, they aren't more powerful than us," I replied, standing tall as I observed what would soon be our new empire.  
"If they aren't so powerful, then how did they defeat me last time?" Malefor retorted, giving me a rhetorical look.  
"If the ancestors hadn't intervened, you would have won," I laughed. "We all know that."  
Malefor nodded. "They won't intervene this time. I'll make sure of it." After looking at Warfang for a few more minutes, he turned and went back inside. I continued to wait outside, watching for Tyrannus to come back.  
Finally, I saw a black and red form head back toward us. It was very dark out by now, so I didn't notice him for a while.  
Then I was able to make him out. He was moving slowly, his front legs hanging down limply and his wings beating sluggishly. I leapt over the edge of the balcony and went to meet him.  
"Tyrannus, where's Spyro and Cynder?" I snapped.  
Tyrannus looked at me with angry eyes. "I couldn't catch them. They fought me off. So I'm telling Malefor that if he wants them so badly, he'll have to go catch them himself."  
"What happened to your front leg?" I demanded.  
Tyrannus looked at his leg. "Spyro burnt me. Meanwhile, Cynder kept hitting me with fear attacks about as powerful as mine. I couldn't do anything to them."  
"That's because you didn't use speed! Spyro has strong elemental attacks but is horribly slow, and Cynder's fast but one strong hit will stop her for a few seconds," I said, angrily throwing my paws up. "Man, you need to learn these things before rushing out and attacking a purple dragon and his wife! Ever heard of the saying, 'Know your friends well, know your enemies better?'"  
"You don't have to yell at me," Tyrannus muttered. He rubbed at his face, where the scar across his eye had been opened further by a slash from either Spyro or Cynder. His paw came away bloody. He looked at it, then shrugged and wiped it off on his thigh.  
I sighed. "I feel sorry for you. Malefor is not going to be happy when he finds out you failed."  
"He's my best friend," Tyrannus said, but he didn't sound too sure. We flew back inside. "He'll understand."

Malefor roared loudly, his tail lashing. "What?! You didn't capture Spyro and Cynder like I asked you to?"  
"No, Malefor," Tyrannus replied while I smirked. "They are far more powerful than anyone I've ever fought. I was no match for them."  
"So they've become stronger in the past years..." Malefor paused and looked at me. "How long has it been since I was last here? How many years passed since my defeat?"  
I thought for a second, then said, "Seven years, master. It has been a while. Their powers have grown well. But they still aren't as powerful as I am. My power has grown as well."  
I emphasized this by flexing my front leg muscles and hunching down into a very familiar attack position.  
"Tomorrow, we will begin rebuilding our forces. This time, the world will be ours." Malefor paced in front of us in agitation. He stopped and looked at Tyrannus and I. "We'll capture Spyro and Cynder later. For now, we need to have a strong army behind us. In case we aren't able to catch them."  
"Oh, we will be able to. If I help," I said. "Sure, you and Tyrannus may have been able to take me down. Of course, I was underestimating you, but still. I've defeated the legendary purple dragon and his wife so many times that it's funny. I've fought them together before too and won. So if all three of us attack them at once, they won't stand a chance."  
Tyrannus nodded slowly. "She's right. We'll overpower them if we work together."  
"First, you need to learn how to battle on my level," Malefor said, facing me and taking a battle stance.  
"What, you think you're on a higher level than I am?" I laughed. "Puny little nothing, you're signing your own death warrant."  
"Then you should have nothing to worry about."  
"Okay Mali, you wanna throw down? I'll throw down." I shifted my battle stance so that I was standing on my hind legs with my front legs poised for attack. My claws clenched dangerously. "I'm ready when you are. Let's say for this battle you don't use any elements. I can teach you a thing or two about melee."  
The purple dragon chuckled. "So you say. Let us begin." He charged at me. And I gotta admit: He was fast. But not as fast as me.  
I leapt into the air, soaring twenty feet high without even flapping my wings. I came down hard on Malefor's back, knocking him to the floor. My hind claws tore into his wings, tearing the tough skins.  
With a roar of pain, he whipped around faster than I expected and grabbed my wrist with his teeth.  
"Raawr!" I yanked my front leg easily out of his grip and slashed his face with my claws. They went straight across his eyes, causing him to close them and snarl. Blood trickled out from under his eyelids.  
Grinning to myself, I jumped down and tackled him as hard as I could. Which was very hard. His claws lost contact with the ground and he flew back several feet, smashing into the ground hard and rolling across it for several more feet.  
Tyrannus started to look uncomfortable. "I'm not sure whom to be supporting here!" he called.  
"Don't worry, you have plenty of time to make your decision," I said. I looked back at Malefor. He was climbing to his feet again, wiping blood away from his eyes. They were barely open now. I had really damaged them.  
"Impressive," Malefor said, squinting at me. He wiped at his eyes again, opened them a little more, and advanced on me. "But we're just beginning."  
"Aw, it's sweet that you still have hope," I replied. "You're not stronger than I am. Please, don't make me hurt you, master."  
"Don't call me your master. We're equals of rank, now," Malefor said. He dragged his claws along the ground as he walked, sharpening them. They were about as long as mine, but thicker. They wouldn't be very good for penetrating and hitting organs. Rather, they seemed to be made for opening up big, messy wounds in the enemy.  
"Okay, Malefor," I corrected myself. "Bring it on, purple boy! BRING IT ON!"  
Malefor made a gruff noise of indignation and ran at me. I could tell he wanted to blast the heck out of me with convexity breath. But we had both agreed: No elements. Of any sort.  
I charged at him. We met head on. My head slammed into his chest. He slapped at my face with his paw. For about a minute, we traded blows, both managing to land hard hits on each other. He was fast, I'll give him that.  
"You're not too bad," I said, blocking one of his punches and slamming the backs of my claws against his snout.  
He grabbed my paw and grinned evilly. "You're not so bad yourself."  
"Whoa!" Something jerked my leg out from under me. I lost my balance and fell to the ground. Malefor smirked at me. He had used his tail to trip me. I quickly got back up. "I let you have that move."  
We fought for several more minutes. I could tell that Malefor was weakening. He had limited endurance. I didn't. My strength was unlimited. I could fight all night.  
The way we fought was like lions. Fierce blows and bites dominated our attacks. Occasionally, we would kick at each other or slap each other with our tails. I restrained from using my wing spikes, although I really wanted to. No matter what he said, he was my master. I couldn't hurt him in a way that might be fatal.  
Finally, Malefor stepped away from me. His legs trembled. Then he groaned and sank down into a kneeling position.  
"Tired?" I asked. I lifted his head up with my tail to make him look at my face. His eyes were still bloodshot from my earlier attack. "Or just weak?"  
Malefor growled and stood up again. His knees were shaky, but he was standing. "I am not weak."  
"Hey, I have an idea. Come here, it's a secret." I put my wing around his neck and pulled his ear close to my face. "Elements are now allowed." I let go and grinned.  
Malefor tilted his head at me. "In that case..." He shot a beam of purple energy at me. Point-blank range. I leapt away from it, rolling sideways through the air as if gravity didn't exist. I landed lightly and rammed his side with my head.  
He gasped in pain and the energy beam disappeared. Disoriented, he stumbled back. Then he shook his head and spread his wings.  
"Oh, you want to take it to the air?" I asked, opening my wings too. "That's fine by me. Graah!" I took off and kicked his stomach with my foot. He grunted and took off too, his wings beating furiously. He might have been tired, but his wings were still strong. He would be able to fly for some time.  
Now with both of us in the air, maneuverability would be so much better. I darted underneath him and arched my back up, letting my wings slam into his stomach. I grazed my wing spikes across his stomach plates, tearing right through them. Blood showered me.  
We circled and dove at each other, roaring and battling so violently that any spectators would have been shocked.  
Well, we could count Tyrannus.  
"Oh, sweet ancestors! That's brutal! Oh, that had to hurt! Oryps, be careful!" he shouted. "Malefor's convexity breath is powerful! Watch out! Malefor, she's coming back toward you, I think she's going to use her claws! Oh my gosh!"  
I had just ripped three thin gashes across Malefor's shoulder and slapped him across the face at the same time. He responded by whipping his tail at me. I jerked to the side and it grazed my thigh.  
With a snarl, Malefor twirled in a circle, and fanned his wings outward. A convexity fury burst outward, moving fast. I flew straight through it, shuddering as the energy painfully rushed through me. But it wasn't enough to stop me.  
Now with his energy drained and bleeding from countless wounds, Malefor was quite helpless to stop me as I tackled him. I choke-slammed him all the way to the ground, then jumped away from him.  
"Is he going to be all right?" Tyrannus asked in concern, nudging Malefor. The purple dragon seemed barely conscious.  
"Eh, he should be. Those were all moves designed to knock him out. Not actually hurt him. He'll be fine," I replied. I considered for a second, then walked over to Malefor and leaned over him. I jabbed a few pressure points around his neck and shoulders, which caused him to jump back up hissing. "Hey, I'm just trying to help," I replied viciously.  
Malefor's expression softened, becoming more mellow and calm. "You are a powerful dragoness. Much stronger than Cynder. She could never do that." He went out onto the balcony and gazed over the lands. "This time, we will succeed. Nothing will stop us. Not even those pesky younger dragons!"  
I walked up next to him, nodding. "Yes. And if they try to resist, we kill them." The two of us laughed evilly, and Tyrannus soon joined in. Yes, they could fight! But they would not win!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

The months passed in a blur. We attacked quickly, taking over first Warfang, then the Valley of Avalar. Then we extended our control to lands beyond that, until our empire stretched for hundreds of miles. No one could stop us.  
We had confronted Spyro and Cynder, but we were more than a match for them. They were both hurled down to the stone walkways of Warfang, bruised and beaten. I didn't see Jacob or Voltis during this time. I thought about them often, but only at night when my mind was mostly my own, and wasn't influenced by Malefor.  
But during the day, the memory of my past life was gone as if it had never existed. I was always on my feet, beating down rebellions, issuing orders, dealing with whiny peasants who didn't have any food. Of course we taxed everyone. How else would we keep our empire running and our armies equipped and fed? Yes, I was truly the queen. And Malefor was the king. Tyrannus was also of kingly status. We referred to him as the king too, but Malefor was the dominant one. He made most of the laws and settled disputes most often.  
There were some valiant rebellions against us, that much is sure. But with me leading an attack to quell them, they never lasted long. I don't know how many times I've confronted Spyro and Cynder. But they can never beat me and always have to flee my wrath.  
As for the guardians; Cyril, Terrador, and Volteer were too old to fight me. Embara and Cyra, however, were always attacking. I've scarred them permanently as a result of our encounters. There were two new dragonesses that followed them to fight me as well. There's an electric dragon who's in training to replace Volteer, and her name is Jewel. Then there's Terris, who will replace Terrador. The four young guardians-in-training are quite powerful when fighting together, but still are no match for Malefor, Tyrannus, and I.  
Yes, our empire was prospering quite well. We were being very fair rulers, actually. At least we didn't kill people for no good reason. We only beat them down until they gave up. But when they weren't rebelling, we made sure that there was food and water, as long as you worked for it. We assured them that no harm would come to them as long as they follow our rules. So far, the people have been pretty tolerant of us and just try to continue their daily lives like normal.  
Four months after the complete takeover of the realms, I began to notice Malefor growing restless. He would pace often, not talking to anyone, even when important matters were brought up. Occasionally he would glance at his reflection in the polished marble floor, then growl and pace some more. He wouldn't talk to us about it either.  
One day, I was busy speaking to a young cheetah who had just had two kittens, and was asking me for food. She said that there wasn't much to spare for her and her family. And she didn't want her children to go hungry.  
I glanced around, making sure that Malefor wasn't watching. Then I leaned down and whispered, "Okay, I'll fetch you a pound of meat. But don't tell anyone that I gave it to you. You can tell your husband, but no one else. Wait here."  
I ran to the great kitchens and hurriedly asked for a pound of fresh meat. The dragon working there gave it to me. He actually came to us to ask for this job. I don't know why he did. Maybe he just wanted to get into a position of power. But we let him work the kitchens and prepare our meals. As long as he tastes them first so that we know they weren't poisoned.  
"Here you are, Oryps," he said, handing over the huge slab. "That's prime meat, there. I was going to put it in a stew for tomorrow night, but I suppose there's plenty to spare."  
I held the tender meat carefully. "Yeah, get working on that, Sargon." Then I turned and left him.  
"Okay!" he called, returning to his job.  
I brought the meat to the cheetah mother. "Here you go. And don't tell anyone where you got it. Or else everyone will be coming to us for food."  
"Yes, of course. Thank you, my queen. Thank you!" She bowed as low as she could without dropping the food, then turned and rushed away.  
I smiled and walked back toward the throne room to see if Malefor had any news for me. Like a new rebellion or a war that he wants to start. Tyrannus stopped me in the hall. "Malefor wants to see you," he said. "Says it's very important."  
"Okay. I was heading that way anyways," I replied. I walked the rest of the way. "You wanted to talk to me, Malefor?" I asked as I entered the throne room.  
"Sit down, Oryps," he said, indicating the throne next to his. I sat down, wondering what he wanted to talk about. For a while, he just gazed off into space. Then he sighed and said, "I'm aging. Soon, it will be time for me to die. Perhaps not this year, and perhaps not next year. But one year soon."  
It wasn't a question, just a flat out statement. I didn't say anything, prompting him to continue.  
"I need an heir," Malefor continued. "A fit male who will replace me as king once I'm gone. It needs to be my son. Not just any dragon."  
"So... Do you have a son?" I asked.  
Malefor shook his head. "No. Not yet."  
"Yet?" I wondered. "Where are you going with this?"  
"There's no easy way to say this..." Malefor took my paw in his, looking straight into my eyes. "Will you be the one to bear my son?"  
For five awkward seconds, I didn't say anything out of pure shock. Then I found my voice in an explosion. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?! I'm not mating with you!"  
Malefor just looked at me. "If not for me, then for your kingdom. A queen cannot rule alone. She needs a king by her side."  
"What sort of queen rules with her own son?" I demanded, jerking my paws away.  
"It's not unheard of," Malefor replied, shrugging. "Oryps, you and I both know that this is necessary. You can't rule alone."  
"Hey, there are other dragonesses out there who would accept you," I pointed out, feeling repulsed at the thought.  
"No, I'll only take the strongest. And that's you," Malefor said. "Imagine how powerful a dragon would be with the combined traits of both of us."  
"Quite powerful, I'm sure," I said, "But I'm not agreeing to this. Sorry."  
"So be it!" Malefor snapped. "You may leave." He turned away from me and stared out the window at the setting Sun, as though hoping it would set the world on fire.  
I sped from the room, glad to be away. There weren't any other matters I had to attend to, so I went to my room instead. It was a large room. A bed with soft yellow covers and pillows was against the far wall. To my left was a similar-colored lounge chair.  
A chest of my share of the gold and jewels we taxed people was in the corner. A vanity with a sink and jewelry boxes filled with rings and necklaces was right next to my bed. But even with all that jewelry, I only wear my sapphire teardrop necklace from my childhood, my wedding wing that Jacob bought me, and the sapphire ring he bought me at our one-year anniversary.  
The color of the walls was a very fine purple color, which contrasted very well with the yellow bed. Little shadings of blue were visible when the light from my lamp shined on the walls just right.  
I turned the lamp off and walked over to the window. I leaned out, looking across the land. We had moved from our old base in the mountains, of course. Now we had a castle in one of Warfang's corners. It loomed high above all the other buildings and houses. I could look out of my wide window and see the entire city. Down below, I could see people going about their daily lives. Dragons, cheetahs, moles... They were all insignificant ants to me.  
I closed the window, drew the curtains across it, and turned away with a yawn. It had been a boring day up until the part when Malefor started coming onto me.  
I climbed up onto my bed, stretching out on the smooth fabric. It was so warm in here, especially on the bed. The light had been shining on it all day. I didn't even need to get under the covers. I just laid on top of them on my back, thinking about what tomorrow would be like. Maybe I'd go visit Jacob. I haven't seen him or Voltis since Malefor's obedience spell was cast on me four months ago.  
Once in a comfortable position, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. It only took a few minutes for me to fall asleep. Then there was a small creak, which woke me up instantly. It was completely dark. I guess I had been asleep longer than I thought I had.  
"Who's there?" I asked, sitting bolt upright. A pair of yellow eyes was visible through the gloom, like those of a cat. "Oh, Malefor. What do you need?"  
He came inside the room, up to my bed. By now, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness. I could see him clearly. He was looking at me with a strange expression. "I will have my son. And you will be the one to bear him."  
"We've been over this," I growled. "Don't make me hurt you to get the point across. No means no."  
"You don't have a choice in this," Malefor whispered. "I will get what I want."  
I suddenly felt a wave of faintness. As if I wanted to go back to sleep right then and there. But I couldn't! Not with him in here!  
"No!" I shouted, fighting to stay awake. "I won't let you do this!" The exhaustion deepened. My eyelids drooped down almost all the way. I couldn't keep them open no matter how hard I tried.  
With one hard shove, I was knocked down onto my back again. And I was too tired to push myself back up.  
Sleep had almost completely taken over. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. My body felt limp and wouldn't respond to my orders to move. I could barely even move the tip of my tail or the edges of my wings.  
"Sleep now," Malefor's voice said, echoing through my tired mind. "Do not resist this spell." The spell he had used truly was impossible to resist. I couldn't stay awake. The last thing I was aware of before losing consciousness was my bed dipping down as something heavy climbed onto it.

The first thing I was aware of the next morning was a strange leaden feeling throughout my body. Groaning, I sat up, rubbing my head. I felt like I had a hangover. I couldn't remember what had happened last night. Did we have a party and I got too drunk to remember it?  
Then I realized that was ridiculous. So why did I feel so slow and tired? Then the memories of last night rushed into my head. I jumped to my feet and scrambled down off the bed. I shoved my door open and ran down the hall. I burst into the throne room yelling at the top of my lungs, "Malefor! You are dead meat! You hear me?! Dead! Meat!"  
Malefor looked up from his conversation with Tyrannus, looking bored. "Is something troubling you, my queen?"  
"Yes!" I screamed, stomping toward him. Tyrannus took a wise step back, away from me. But I only cared about murdering Malefor right now. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against the wall. He didn't even struggle. He just looked at me with those hideous cat eyes. "You dare come in my room... You dare force a sleeping curse on me... You molest me while I'm unconscious... I should kill you!"  
"You have no proof of that last accusation," he replied calmly.  
"But I know you did," I hissed. "I'm not stupid. I will kill you for this."  
"You won't, though," Malefor said. He started to push away from the wall. I tightened my grip. "Release me. Now."  
"No. I'm done listening to you," I said. "You will die for what you've done to me."  
"You have to obey me!" he roared. "Let go!"  
"No!" I yelled back. I was so angry that his control over me vanished completely for the first time in months. Just swept aside as anger poured through me. I was completely myself again. This realization brought a mix of emotions. Joy, anxiety, confusion. But there was only one thing in the front of my mind. Fury. A terrible surge of energy ran through me. It was something I had never felt before, but some hidden part of my being knew how to wield it.  
"DIE!" I screamed, raising one of my paws. Electricity burst into life around it, shooting up and down my foreleg. I jabbed my claws deep into Malefor's chest, and the electricity ran through his body. He roared in agony, trying to get away. I contracted my claws, forcing them in deeper. I felt an organ puncture underneath them, and I pulled them away. They were coated with blood. The electricity faded away, I removed my other paw from his throat, and he dropped back down to the ground, where he laid there, unmoving.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

I leaned over the lifeless body and checked for a heartbeat. There wasn't one. Well, there wouldn't be. That was his heart that I had punctured with my electrified claws. I didn't even stop to think about how I had suddenly used electricity, even though I had lost the ability years ago. All I knew was it worked. It had given me the perfect revenge.  
"Oryps!" Tyrannus shouted, horrified, "You killed him!"  
"He deserved it!" I snarled, "Did you not hear me say what he did to me?!"  
"I know it was wrong, but calm down," Tyrannus said, backing away.  
"Never tell me to calm down!" I swung my tail at him, smacking his snout so hard that it left a bruise. He cried out and retaliated. I dodged him and attacked as fiercely as possible. Hell has no fury like that of a violated dragoness. Tyrannus was unable to ward off my attacks, and his body soon hit the floor, the life leaking out of it in the form of blood.  
I looked at the lifeless body of Malefor, and hatred rose in me like a cobra. I ripped into it with my claws, not holding back. I slashed and tore, relishing in the feel of the scales and muscles tearing apart under my paws. I knew he was already dead, but I wanted to destroy the body. By the time my anger had abated slightly, the body resembled nothing more than a reddish heap of flesh, scales, and organs oozing all over the floor.  
I considered doing the same to Tyrannus, but didn't. He would be allowed to live. If he survived the countless wounds I had inflicted upon him.  
The graphicness of what I had done did not bother me in the slightest. Neither did the blood running down my forelegs.  
Screaming my remaining anger toward the heavens, I turned and rushed from the room, head low, never looking back.

I was blind to everything around me as I ran. I shot through the magnificent halls, past the kitchens, past the treasuries. At eighty miles per hour, nothing could stop me. Somehow, I navigated my way outside without crashing into anything, though I left a long line of bloody paw prints as I ran.  
Once outside, I ran past the stunned onlookers, through the crowded streets. Everyone who was wise got out of my way. Others were knocked aside as I barreled past them.  
I found the way to my house, ran up the front steps. I flung the door open and sprinted inside. Right then, all I wanted was the presence of my husband and daughter. I ran up the stairs and into our room. Jacob was in there, sitting on the bed and blankly staring at the wall. He heard me coming and looked up. He barely had time to move before I had tackled him, knocking him down against the bed. I buried my face into his shoulder, trying not to cry.  
"Oryps!" he exclaimed. "What happened? Why didn't you ever come back? Why did you join Malefor and take control of everything?"  
I didn't answer, holding him tightly and letting my tears finally spill out. All the hardships and anger from the past months just came out. He didn't ask any more questions, instead holding me on his lap as I cried. His front legs embraced me gently, and his wings enveloped me. They were warm and velvety. It was a feeling I had missed dearly.  
"When you feel better, please, say something," Jacob finally said. "I need to know what happened."  
I finally pulled my face away from his shoulder, looking at his dazzling silver eyes. After sniffing a few times, I said, "It wasn't my fault. None of it was my fault. Malefor captured me and forced an obedience spell on me like he did to Cynder. I couldn't resist doing everything he said, following his orders to the letter. We took over the realms together. Malefor, Tyrannus, and I. We were unstoppable. Everyday, though, I yearned to stop this madness and come back to you and Voltis. But I couldn't. The spell prevented me from doing so. And yesterday, Malefor said he needed a male heir to replace him once he's dead. It had to be his son. But he didn't have a son. Not yet anyway. He said that I had the perfect traits to be passed on. A mix of him and me would be very powerful."  
"Oryps, are you saying that he wanted to mate with you?" Jacob asked, sounding terrified.  
I nodded. "I refused, of course. I would never let such a thing happen! He told me to leave, then. I did. I went back to my room as soon as possible, eager to get away from him. The fatal mistake was in not locking the door. He came in at some point during the night. I know, because I heard him. I woke up, because I'm a light sleeper. You know that. He came toward me, and then he cast this horrible spell over me that made me lose consciousness. And then... I know he.... he..." My eyes started watering again. I couldn't say it. Instead, I resumed my sobbing against Jacob's shoulder.  
Jacob didn't speak. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He was probably furious. I know I would be. I felt like I deserved for him to be mad at me.  
I became aware of a gentle rocking back and forth. I opened one eye and looked up at Jacob. He was humming quietly, swaying me gently from left to right. It was exactly how he used to calm me down when we were teenagers. When something upset me, he would always hum the same lullaby and hold me like this.  
"Oh, Oryps," he said softly. "My poor little Oryps. I'm so sorry that all of this happened to you."  
"You aren't mad?" I asked, wiping my eyes.  
"Why would I be mad?" Jacob replied. "You never did anything of your own accord. You were forced to. Why should I be angry with you for something you had no control over?"  
"Because, I should have been able to stop myself," I said, sniveling. "I should have fought him. But instead, I let all of this happen!"  
"Oryps, I'm sure you did fight. And you probably fought well. But he's a purple dragon of unimaginable skill in magic. It would have been a miracle to throw off control like that," Jacob pointed out. "And as for what you said happened last night, I must say that yes, I'm angry. But not at you. At Malefor. If you want, both of us can go to the castle. We can kill him together. Would that make you happy?"  
"Don't bother," I muttered bitterly. "I already killed him. I killed him first thing this morning when I woke up. What he did was so horrible and wrong that I lost control. He lost his will over me and was unable to stop me, and I ripped him apart. To sum it up gently."  
"He's dead? Are you sure? Because we've assumed he was dead before and he always came back," Jacob said.  
"I'm sure. I ripped his body to pieces until it was nothing more than a large lump of goo. As for Tyrannus, I just sliced him up and knocked him unconscious. Someone will deal with him," I said.  
"I must say, Oryps," Jacob said, trying to smile, "Your taxes were not very fair. But you're going to drop them now, right?"  
"Oh yeah. I am," I replied, trying to smile too. I failed at that, however. The memories were so vivid and terrible that they made me want start howling in misery.  
Jacob kept holding me. "Please, stop crying, dear. I don't like it when you cry. It makes me want to cry too. Don't make me tickle you."  
"Oh, don't," I mumbled, looking away. I felt his claws on my sides and batted them away. "Cut it out. I'm not in the mood, Jacob!"  
"You're never in the mood," he replied, grinning. His claws scratched my sides quickly. I stifled a laugh and pushed his paws away. He put them on my neck, rubbing near my collarbone.  
"Hey, come on!" I protested, smiling despite myself. "Stop it!" He pulled his paws away.  
"There's that beautiful smile I was looking for," he said. "Did I ever tell you that your eyes are gorgeous even when you're crying? They look like the most precious pieces of gold in the world."  
"No, you haven't," I replied, blinking away the remaining tears. I pulled Jacob's wing toward my face and used it to wipe my eyes. He yanked it away, looking indignant. But he was still beaming. Somehow, he always finds a way to cheer me up. I guess that's why I love him so much.  
A small sound caught my attention. I perked up my head, looking at the doorway. It was Voltis. My daughter!  
"Voltis!" I cried, pulling away from Jacob and running over to her. I scooped her up and held her close, feeling her warm scales, and the soft blue fur running down her spine. It really was her. "You've grown so much since I last saw you! Oh Voltis, I missed you so much!" She was about a foot tall, and from snout tip to tail tip she had to be about twenty inches. That was much larger than when I had last seen her. And it had only been four months!  
Voltis squirmed in my grip, pushing at my chest. She twisted around so that she could get a good look at my face. "Mommy?" she said in a tiny, high-pitched voice.  
I nearly gasped. She could talk! "Yes, I'm your mother. Oh, I missed you, my sweet." I held her up to eye level, looking at the perfect silver eyes she had inherited from her father. She leaned forward, putting her delicate little paws on my snout. Her black claws, so much like mine, held onto my scales. She was adorable!  
"She's never said anything before this," Jacob said, looking surprised. "That's her first word."  
"Aw. Her first word is to her mother," I said, nuzzling her. "I love you so much. And I will never leave you again."  
"Mommy," Voltis laughed, pulling on one of my spikes with her teeth. Jacob and I laughed too as she let go of the spike and pawed at it. She was so much like me. So energetic.  
"Oryps, do you want to go over to Spyro and Cynder's place? I'm sure they would like to hear your story. Then we can fix the damage that Malefor and Tyrannus caused," Jacob suggested.  
"I was behind most of what happened too," I said. "The blame is as much mine as theirs."  
"No, it's not. Because this is the difference: They chose the path of evil. You were merely a pawn, forced to obey them," Jacob said firmly. "So don't blame yourself. Come on."  
Still holding my daughter, I followed him out of the bedroom and downstairs. We headed across the street, over to Spyro and Cynder's house.  
I looked across the city to where the castle was visible. Just a day ago, I was the queen of that castle. But no longer. I was going to make things right. I was going to repent for all that I had done. I would pray to the ancestors as soon as possible to forgive me for this and help me correct what was done.  
Cynder answered the door. "Hey Jacob." She sounded weary. Then she noticed me. "Oryps! You demon!" She lunged at me. I turned away so that Voltis wouldn't get injured, and the black dragoness hit my back hard. But I remained standing easily.  
"Cynder, stop! What are you doing?" Jacob shouted, pulling Cynder away from me. "She's on our side now!"  
Voltis started crying. I cradled her, talking to her softly. After a while, she quieted and clutched my front leg tightly.  
"She betrayed all of us!" Cynder shouted. "She joined the dark master and enslaved all of us! We thought we knew her, but we were wrong about her all along! She's evil!"  
Her words stung more than they should have. But I stood tall and replied, "Well in that case, for the first twelve years of your life, you were a monster who pillaged our towns and kidnapped our guardians just so you could drain all their energy. Then you used that energy to try and bring back Malefor. And you killed countless dragons in between. So who's the demon now, you she-devil?"  
"I wasn't in control of myself!" she snapped. "I was forced to do all that! In case you've forgotten, there was an obedience spell on me!"  
"Exactly!" I yelled. "I was under his control! He used that same spell on me and made me helpless to resist him!" I slammed my foot down so hard that the stone of the porch cracked.  
Cynder looked at me in shock. "Oh, he did? I'm sorry, I didn't know! I thought you had joined him willingly."  
"I didn't," I said, looking away from her face. "I had no choice. He would have killed me. So I joined him and Tyrannus. And what happened after that was not by my own will." I couldn't help but notice the vicious slash mark that was across her chest plates. The one I had made when I fought her a few weeks ago during one of the rebellions. Numerous other scars covered her upper body and face.  
Cynder opened the door and stood aside. "Please, come in. We would like to hear about everything that had happened from the point of view of someone who had a paw in it all."  
Jacob and I accepted her invitation and entered the house. Once situated comfortably, with Spyro sitting nearby looking critical and Syne sitting on Cynder's lap looking content, I told my side of the story to them all.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

It took a long time to tell my story. I wasn't interrupted once, although everyone's face changed from emotion to emotion as I talked. What I was saying was so full of passion that I felt like I was reliving the moments I described. And from the expressions of my husband and friends, they probably felt as if they were living the moments too.  
When I reached the part about Malefor forcing me to lose consciousness while in my room, there were looks of shock and sympathy on everyone's faces. I finished the tale at that point, not wanting to say anymore.  
"Oh Oryps, I am so sorry," Jacob said, embracing me.  
"You've been through so much," Cynder said. "Is there anything we can do to help you get through this?"  
"No, I'm okay," I replied. "I feel fine now. I mean, you're all here for me, and that's really all I could ask for. Thanks."  
"What do you suppose the chances are that he actually impregnated you?" Spyro asked, learning forward.  
Cynder slapped him. "She doesn't need reminding of what happened!"  
"I was just asking!"  
Syne and Voltis giggled.  
I shrugged. "There's no way to know. It takes a few weeks for a dragonet to form. Then it takes a few more weeks for the egg to incase it and then be laid. We'll just have to wait and find out."  
"What are you going to do with the dragonet if one is born?" Jacob wondered. "You won't just abandon it, would you?"  
"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "I wouldn't just toss out my own flesh and blood! Even though the father would be Malefor, I wouldn't just abandon it! It would be my child too!"  
"Do you think it would be a boy? Or do you think it will actually turn out to be a girl?" Jacob asked.  
"I don't know," I said, looking down at Voltis and stroking her head. "I just don't know."

Over the next few days, we worked hard to fix all of the problems that were a result of Malefor's reign. We retrieved Tyrannus and put him in prison. What was left of the dark master was cleaned up and thrown into the lava pits of the Burned Lands.  
It would take weeks to undo all the damage. But we got some things sorted out and many wrongfully imprisoned dragons, cheetahs, and moles were set free. Most were in jail because of being part of the rebellions. And most were heavily scarred from encounters with the dark armies. Led by Malefor, Tyrannus, and I.  
But they were glad to be let out. And it was easy to convince them of my innocence in this whole matter. They knew well that Malefor was a master of dark enchantments. Some of them were angry and bitter, but I wasn't blamed too badly.  
A week after my killing Malefor and coming back home, I began to feel a little strange. I felt like I needed to eat more than necessary and had unexpected cramps. Since I've already been pregnant, I recognized the signs of a dragonet growing inside me.  
I walked into the kitchen, where Voltis was enjoying a sandwich and Jacob was eating some leftover chicken.  
"Jacob?" I called softly. "It's true. I will be laying an egg in about two months."  
Jacob looked up sharply from his food. He looked very surprised. "Oh. Are you sure?"  
"I'm sure," I replied. I was standing on just my hind legs like usual, with one of my paws on my lower stomach. I was very tall when I was on two legs. It made me feel superior in a way. But now I was just walking like this out of habit. And it was more comfortable when you have a burden such as mine.  
"Well, this is a surprising turn of events," Jacob muttered, returning his attention to his food.  
"Are you angry?"  
"What? No. I already said that I'm not mad at you," he replied. "It's not your fault. I'm just a little shocked, that's all. I had hoped that he hadn't gotten you pregnant. How do you think I'll feel raising a son or daughter that isn't mine?"  
"I know you'll probably find it strange," I admitted, "But I can't just leave my own dragonet out to die. I wouldn't even want to leave it with another family. If my blood and genes are in it, I want to keep it. No matter what."  
"That's very noble of you," Jacob said as I sat down next to him. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "And that's why I love you."  
"I love you too," I said softly, leaning toward him. Voltis smiled.

After about a month, we had finally sorted out all of the problems from Malefor's reign. I didn't have to go to prison for being the queen because they understood that I wasn't in control.  
And although I had tried to keep the knowledge of my pregnancy being a result of Malefor, somehow people found out. But my fierce reputation kept them from being rude toward me because of that.  
I laid the egg too about two months after killing Malefor. Its size hinted that it would hatch a male. The shell was purple, with brownish streaks running through it. I couldn't help but wonder what sort of dragon it would hatch. Probably a purple one, judging by the color of the shell. But as for the physical features, I could only guess. Would it have my wings? My horns? Or would it look more like Malefor than me? I wouldn't know until it hatched.  
Voltis's egg had taken about five months to hatch. But this egg started to move weeks earlier than hers had.  
Jacob was at work when the first movement occurred. I had been holding the egg with it wrapped in blankets for warmth when I felt a small motion under my paws. When I unraveled it from the blankets and held it up in front of me, I could feel it shaking. But not a lot. It would still be a while before the dragonet inside actually got out.  
I held the egg up to the light, trying to see if the dragonet inside was visible. The rays shone through, lighting up the egg. I could see a form curled up inside, but the head wasn't visible. I could only see the cramped wings and tail. The wings seemed to be shaped like Malefor's. The end of the tail was identical to Malefor's as well. The scales seemed to be purple, but as for any other features, it was hard to tell. The color of the shell and the liquids inside distorted the true colors. I would still have to wait a while.  
I didn't mention the egg's movement to Jacob. He didn't need to know. The presence of the egg irritated him. He didn't like it being here. No matter how often I tried to convince him otherwise. He didn't understand. After all, he was male. There'd be no mother-egg bonds for him.  
After another anxious week, during which the egg rattled many more times, cracks finally appeared across the surface. Once again, Jacob was at work. He'd come home to a new member of the family. Whether he wanted to accept it or not.  
Voltis came up to me while I was carefully tapping on different sections of the egg, indicating to the dragonet where the shell was weakest, and reassuring it that I was right here to help.  
"Mommy?" Voltis asked, nudging the egg. She didn't know many other words, but her expression was clear. She didn't know what was happening.  
"The egg is hatching," I told her, watching more cracks appear. "You'll have a brother or sister soon."  
"Brother?" she said in her small voice. "Sister?"  
"That's right. I don't know which one it will be. I have to wait until it hatches," I replied. A chip burst from the side of the egg and the tip of a purple snout poked against the hole. The scale color was lighter than Malefor's. More pastel. A pretty color, actually.  
The dragonet attacked the inside of the egg again, hammering at it. It broke off a large piece and shoved its head out. I drew in a breath. It was male. I could tell from the way the snout was shaped. The eyes were golden like mine. They didn't even have the slits of Malefor's eyes. No, they were the perfect replicas of mine.  
He had the same horns as Malefor. Two on the sides of his head that curved back and inward, and then the one on top of his head that curved up and back. In front of it was a spike like mine, only yellow instead of purple. It had a blue membrane stretched from it down to his head. Below the middle horn, more of these spikes ran down the back of his head and neck.  
That was all I could see. The head had pulled back and now was trying to break the entire egg open.  
"Come on," I urged him. "You can do it, son. Keep trying." Finally, the egg cracked completely in half. The dragonet crawled out on its belly, damp wings spread to dry.  
The chest plates were just like Malefor's. Same color and shape. There were even two sets of spikes coming from them and reaching partway over his shoulders. The wings were shaped like Malefor's, but instead of having rough brownish wingskins, they were the same shade of blue as mine.  
Other than the wingskins, eyes, and spikes, he looked just like Malefor. The only difference was that his purple shade was lighter and he had long black claws like me.  
"He looks just like his father," I said quietly. I noticed Voltis staring at him intently. "Voltis, this is your new brother. Why don't you say hi to him?"  
Voltis sniffed at the dragonet. "Hi brother."  
He tilted his head at her and slowly crept toward her. He lifted his head, sniffing in interest.  
"You'll need a name," I said, watching him play with his older half-sister. She would be almost eight months older than him if I remembered correctly. "But what name would fit you?"  
The little dragonet just looked at me and chirped.  
Voltis looked at her brother, then at me. She took in a deep breath, then said in a clear voice, "Morzan."  
I stared at her. "What did you say?"  
"Morzan," Voltis repeated, blinking at me.  
"Morzan," I echoed, listening to how the name sounded. I liked it. But where did Voltis ever think of that? She was only eight months old. "Voltis, where did you learn that name?"  
Voltis just shrugged. I smiled, deciding not to ask questions. I picked up the purple dragonet, holding him closely. "Then it's settled. Your name will be Morzan. Do you like that name?"  
He squealed, licking my neck. I nuzzled him gently. Sure, he was Malefor's son. But he was mine too. I had to take care of him. And I loved him just as much as I loved Voltis.  
When Jacob came home that afternoon, I was sitting in the living room with Voltis, Morzan, and the family cat Gem all on my lap. They were all lying against each other, sleeping. It was really quite cute.  
Jacob trooped inside, looking ticked off. He carried a briefcase of papers, as usual. It would be filled with papers to be graded.  
"What's wrong, dear?" I called.  
Jacob threw the case down onto the coffee table and sat down next to me. "One of the kids spilled a whole bottle of glue all over his desk. I had to pry his paw off of it because he got the brilliant idea to lean on it afterward. I should ask to work with the fifth graders. The third graders are too immature."  
"You're ticked off just because of spilled glue?" I asked. "That seems a little extreme."  
"Well, he was yelling the whole time and most of his scales were stripped from his skin when I pulled his paw away," Jacob said, leaning back against the couch and sighing. "Imagine wrapping duct tape around your paw and then ripping it off. Same basic concept."  
"The egg hatched," I said casually.  
"Oh, wonderful," he replied, sounding bored. "I assume it was a boy?"  
"You got it," I said, looking down at Morzan. He was still asleep, his head nestled into Gem's armpit. The cat was awake, his tail swishing back and forth. Morzan was half his size, making him look like a kitten that had curled up next to its mother. Voltis was about Gem's size, maybe a little larger. But the three of them tolerated each other very well.  
Jacob put his paw on Morzan's back. Morzan opened one gold eye, looked at Jacob, grunted, and closed his eye again. "He looks more like Malefor than you," he observed. "The color, the horns, the chest plates, the tail..."  
"Yeah, I noticed that too," I said. "But the wingskins and spikes are like mine."  
"Now that, I can agree with," Jacob replied. He pulled his briefcase toward him and opened it. "I'm going to get some of these papers graded. Do you want to help?"  
"No, I'm good," I answered, leaning back. The motion disturbed Gem, who jumped down and trotted away. Voltis and Morzan adjusted their positions, scooting closer against each other and falling asleep again. I smiled and draped my wings down over them. My two children couldn't be more different. But they were already friends. With that thought, I relaxed into a content position. Yes, with any luck, the future would turn out all right.


End file.
